Beastly

Picnic

It wasn't a long ride and at some point the whole place seemed to come to life,there were people moving around, children playing kick the can at one side and tug of war at the other,she gasped as a team on the other side fell on their buns and she strained her neck to see if they got injured but instead they all laughed cheerfully and a smile touched her lips,there were little cottages around,it was a striking contradiction to the path to the palace it made her what exactly made it the way it was,it wouldn't have just happened, would it?

Ivor couldn't stop himself from staring at the different expressions she made,she was a complete bundle of cuteness and when she smiled he looked out the window to see what made her smile.

Children,she loved children?,he shook his head at the thought of her with a round stomach,it was such a shame he didn't really want them,she looked absolutely delectable and if she wasn't so much of a trouble then they might actually have a normal conversation but then it was the meaningless banter they usually engaged in that made him all the more interested in her,he had followed this route not because it was the only one ,but because she had spoken about wanting to see the village last night so he decided that they would go this way,she was glowing,if only she could smile more often.

They finally got to their destination, it was a beautiful valley with a lake by the side, you could call it a meadow,the perfect stop for a picnic.

He got down from the carriage and gave her a hand which she was reluctant to take, stepping down from the carriage ,we couldn't hold her smile,it was a cool breath of the air ,how she had longed to go out of that Castle and finally she did the only difference was that she had wanted to be out alone.

"What are we doing here?",she asked nurturing her features of excitement.

"A picnic."came his very short answer.

"Oh!,a picnic."she repeated after him,he planned to woo her with a picnic, how sweet,but it didn't quite seem like something an oh! so arrogant lord like him would put himself through she smiled again and this time he caught it.

"Lewis get the items from the trunk and set them up."he said to the footman then he turned to her giving her his elbow.

"Shall we?"

"Emm- okay."she said taking his hand and they walked hand in hand.

They stroll for a while and he did nothing but look her way from time to time till he finally spoke.

"You are beautiful."and her cheeks turned bright pink but she countered his compliment.

"You don't have to be nice, I look well like a skunk."she said and she wished she had just said a simple thank you.

His brows furrowed,"why would you think that?"he asked and she looked in the other direction but she didn't answer his question then he realized why,it was the white strand of her hair she always hid,why would she think she looked like a skunk for such a useless reason?, and just when he was about to ask her the questions going through his head she answered.

"As a kid I was always teased on it,they always called me a skunk."she said biting her lip at the thought,she always preferred to play with the servants children because they didn't tease her because of her hair,they welcomed her and she grew very fond of the kitchen and it's occupants, she actually never complained on it ,she learnt how to do so much that normal princess wouldn't even if she wasn't allowed to handle somethings it still went a long way in her self training.

"Well you look nothing like that,"he said looking ahead of them."and even if you did,then you are the most beautiful in the entire forest."he said calmly almost like he was reciting a poem and she had to admit,his words were quite pleasant to her ears, even if it wasn't always a compliment, she looked even more flushed than she did before.

In the light of the moment she decided to ask,"do you have a family?"

"No"he said plainly.

"What happened to them?"she asked further.

"They're dead."he said again.

"No siblings?"

"I am the only child."he said.

"Oh."she muttered.

She felt he didn't want to elaborate more on the topic so she didn't go any further on the subject.

They returned back to the previous sight for the picnic ,she had to confess,she had never seen a picnic so elaborately set, and she ate as much as her stomach carry,she was very particular on the chocolate scones while she noticed he ate more of the blueberry pie, after the very delightful picnic,the footman packed up their things and they settled back into carriage and in minutes they were already back to the castle.

"Welcome back."Vernon said as he felt Darion's presence behind him, he twirled his wrist while blue like dust swirled around it.

"What news do you have?"Vernon asked as he opened his eyes revealing deep black eyes and he stopped the motion of his hands and the dust like particles seemed to vanish into thin air.

"I think it would be better to get the council together first."Darion said walking to stand beside him,he closed his eyes and breathed in the and then out ,how he had missed home,he had been away for more than a year now,maybe a year and some months and now he was finally back but he felt more miserable than he did when he was leaving,he knew that one-day he would have to leave but it had come too soon and he didn't know how to feel about it,his heart felt so heavy he didn't know what to do,he sighed out loudly,how would he be able to convince them to let him bring her here?

"You shouldn't have spent so much time with their kind when you know the restrictions now that you are back you have to pay heed to other important things, you have played around for too long."Vernon said as he stood on his feet and turned to walk away when Darion spoke again.

"Isn't there a chance, that maybe ,just maybe you can believe she is different."

"No."Vernon answeredwithout hesitation and walked away.